IT & the Business: Can they remain separate?

There is IT. And then, there's business. Are they different any more?
For the past ten years, there has been a lot of talk about IT alignment with the business. The implication being - there is IT, and then there is the business. One focuses on technology, the other, on everything else.
IT Service Management has progressed our thinking and centred our attention on aligning IT with the objectives of the business. That approach, while trying to bring IT and the business closer, also validates the thinking that IT is something separate from the business. Especially in this hyper-connected era, aren’t IT and the business really the same thing?
Consider that nowadays (almost) everything in everyday life has some form of technology in it – the buildings we work in, the vehicles we travel in, the ATMs we bank with, and even the toys our children get with their happy meals . Everything has some form of ‘smarts’ embedded in it. So the question is: can we continue to think of IT and the business as separate things, or should we instead be asking why we ever saw them as so different?
This talk will address some of the ideas and logical connections behind this premise. How do you define a single service strategy for the business? Can there be a common approach to managing all service-related assets – not just IT? Can you actually manage the end-to-end business service? How do you integrate service delivery processes across the business? The truth is that IT was never enough to deliver a service – all services depend on more than IT to make them happen.
This presentation will also explore other possible implications of a smart new world where IT is everywhere. With so much embedded technology in virtually every thing we touch, the business people, formerly known as IT, should be driving the opportunities for service innovation.

Real business demands for greater agility, performance and automation are increasingly being held back by traditional storage platforms. As companies move from traditional storage infrastructures to the next generation data centre, they have more options for consuming storage infrastructure than ever before - as a Service, Converged Infrastructure, as an Appliance, or Software running on commodity hardware. Which combination should you choose?

Andy will review the storage infrastructure choices available today. He will then discuss the elements you should consider for your next generation, cloud storage platform, however you choose to consume storage - Quality of Service for guaranteed application performance, In-line data reduction, Scale-out storage architectures, Self-healing high availability and Complete system automation. Finally, he will share how these capabilities have been proven in the worlds most demanding data centres, including solutions for Virtualised Applications (VMware, Microsoft) and Cloud Orchestration (OpenStack, CloudStack, VMware).

A scalable and performance optimized IT infrastructure that leverages your existing hardware? An application focused-design, where maximum availability and easy rollout of new applications is guaranteed? All of your datacenter critical functions monitored from a single management interface? The freedom of choice to start your journey to the enterprise or private cloud at your own pace? Does this sounds too good to be true?! Experience the magic of EMC VSPEX delivered by Proact.

Your data is growing by the day and it is everywhere. And so, managing and protecting applications and databases in both physical and virtual environments is becoming more and more challenging.

So, what if something happens? Can you recover your data in time? Learn in this animated video tutorial in 100 seconds how CommVault and Proact have your back with CommVault Simpana's data management platform.

For any developer, choosing the right compute infrastructure and back-end database is a critically important decision. In this webinar, we'll explore specific challenges that mobile app and game developers face and how the cloud can provide a winning solution. We’ll also explore cloud solutions for big data challenges for MMOG, built-in analytics, online and offline MOG online modes, infrastructure reference architecture, and social network and cross-platform game use cases.

The BYOD trend is a symptom of consumerization in the mobile/cloud era that presents an opportunity for IT to be more relevant to the business. Recent studies show more interest than ever in BYO “anything” programs, however this transformation is hindered by concerns over security and complexity. From MacBooks and laptops to smartphones and tablets, a BYO “Anything” strategy must start with the user, not the device. By attending this webinar and discussion, you will learn:
- How to take a people-centric approach to BYOD programs
- Simple tips for navigating through the policy nightmares associated with BYOD
- Key infrastructure requirement for a successful BYOD program
- How a successful BYOD program can lead to even greater value for business mobility

The BYOD trend is a symptom of consumerization in the mobile/cloud era that presents an opportunity for IT to be more relevant to the business. Recent studies show more interest than ever in BYO “anything” programs, however this transformation is hindered by concerns over security and complexity. From MacBooks and laptops to smartphones and tablets, a BYO “Anything” strategy must start with the user, not the device. By attending this webinar and discussion, you will learn:
- How to take a people-centric approach to BYOD programs
- Simple tips for navigating through the policy nightmares associated with BYOD
- Key infrastructure requirement for a successful BYOD program
- How a successful BYOD program can lead to even greater value for business mobility

Milliseconds can mean millions of dollars made or lost but if you have to pay millions of dollars for it in the first place, is it really worth it? Loading up servers with flash or buying the most expensive storage systems on the planet have been the only way to achieve the lowest possible latency for virtualized SQL apps that require HA. Join George Wagner, Sr. Product Marketing Manager from NexGen Storage to discuss how new value-driven data management capabilities can deliver extreme low latency to the data that needs it without breaking the bank.

Milliseconds can mean millions of dollars made or lost but if you have to pay millions of dollars for it in the first place, is it really worth it? Loading up servers with flash or buying the most expensive storage systems on the planet have been the only way to achieve the lowest possible latency for virtualized SQL apps that require HA. Join George Wagner, Sr. Product Marketing Manager from NexGen Storage to discuss how new value-driven data management capabilities can deliver extreme low latency to the data that needs it without breaking the bank.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so they say. So what type of picture do you have around your disciplines of incident and problem management? Can you see the trends? Can you identify areas for improvements in speed, costs and user experience?

In this session we will discuss some of the results of shifting left and also skipping right to create a dynamic service environment based upon both industry best practices and actionable data.

We will also look at some of the methods and improvements to the Edge SaaS ITSM tool that you can utilize to improve this strategic area of the service desk and IT operations management.

Some of the topics we will cover include:

- How to leverage templates to increase the speed of ticket creation
- Proper alignment between services and SLAs
- Using service notifications to improve messaging and brand
- Creating a problem investigation from an incident
- Developing a process around which incidents should become problems

Following a well-designed Incident Management process is crucial element of what is often referred to as the “Iron Triangle” for IT Service Management. In fact, this process “iron triangle” is “table stakes” for any IT organization—it is not a “nice to have”! Businesses expect their IT organizations to be able to consistently and effectively handle Incidents as well as Requests and Changes. Most organizations start their ITSM journeys by implementing the “iron triangle”, but because they’ve not taken the time to develop their Service Catalog, these critical processes are usually implemented from an IT perspective. So how could having a Service Catalog before implementing Incident Management help? Join Doug Tedder as he discusses five PDG (Pretty Darn Good) ways the Service Catalog enhances Incident Management.

IT organizations invest huge amounts of time and money in incident and problem management, but does this really create any value for their customers? In this live video panel, Barclay, Daniel and Stuart will discuss different viewpoints of these two processes, and how they can form part of our overall approach to customer experience.

Topics to be discussed will include:
· Are incidents and problems really different things?

· Shouldn’t customers expect services to work properly without incidents?

· Why do IT departments spend so much time and money on resolving incidents, when customers would rather see investment in new capabilities?

·How does incident management contribute to value creation?

· Who should be doing incident management? Is it really something that should be left to the service desk alone?

· How can these two processes contribute to customer experience, and why does this make a difference?

Today's IT organizations recognize the importance of incident and problem management in ensuring customer satisfaction, but often fail to allocate attention or budget to match its importance. At the same time, budgetary pressures, delivery demands and resource constraints are forcing those same organizations to recognize that they now need to "work smarter, not harder." With all of the tools, methods and sources of best practice guidance available, how does one select what is the best fit for an organization? How can you be sure that your improvements are going to result in the kinds of tangible improvements your sponsors and customers will recognize and value? What role does “customer-centricity” play in this? In this presentation, we’ll examine these questions, highlight some important sources of leverage and identify some practical steps that your organization can use to quickly “turbocharge” your response capability.

"To protect and serve"" is a good motto for IT, as there seems to be an expectation that IT exists only to create new technology solutions in response to the demands of the business: to serve. It's not true. The Information Technology department exists to protect the IT interests of the owners of the organisation whilst also serving IT's customers and users. The two don't always align.

IT is entrusted with custody of the organisation's IT assets. Sometimes it is not in the best interests of the organisation to abandon those investments or to increase the risks to the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the information, in order to meet demands for new IT from the customers.

Join IT Skeptic, consultant and commentator, Rob England as he explores IT's evolving role in striking a balance in extracting maximum value from existing investments against facilitating the generation of value from new investments.

This session is approved for 1 Continual Professional Development (CPD) priSM credit.

Creating effective metrics is essential for IT Service Management (ITSM) to evolve as an increasingly critical part of cross-domain service delivery, optimization and planning. However, no two IT organizations are the same, and metrics for measuring IT efficiencies, costs, values and requirements need to be tailored to realistic levels of IT maturity and grounded in unique IT organizational environments.

When a really good idea, a truly compelling service, or an “I-cannot-live-without-this” product hits the street our reaction is often “How come we didn’t think of this sooner?” Whether it’s an iPhone or iPad or a step-up bumper on a pickup truck, we are smacking our foreheads and grunting “Doh!”. DevOps is a really good idea. Merging Development with the Operations side of the house creates synergies and efficiencies that have never before been possible. From automated deployment to fewer bad changes to a robust release management process, it’s time for DevOps.

Join Pink Elephant’s George Spalding and CA’s Robert Stroud to hear about this “Doh!” moment and how it impacts IT service management.

This session is approved for 1 Continual Professional Development (CPD) priSM credit.

New disruptive trends are challenging IT service providers to rethink the way they plan, deploy and deliver services. Today’s IT must deliver a world class “user experience” while allowing for more frequent and rapid application deployment that supports multiple channels with strong consideration to cloud, mobility, consumer experience and more.

This session will discuss the delivery of a high performance “support center” that can help an IT organization meet these challenges by leveraging ITIL and other good practice guidance as the IT organization transitions from reactive service support to being a proactive service provider.

This session is approved for 1 Continual Professional Development (CPD) priSM credit.

Due to the increasing power and prevalence of mobile devices, apps are rapidly moving from consumer-oriented gadgets to main IT functionality delivery platforms for enterprises. More powerful apps require more development man-hours and result in rising prices and increased licensing complexity. Many enterprises already struggle with software licensing compliance and costs on the traditional IT platforms.

This session focuses on strategies for getting ahead of the curve and preventing the current software licensing challenge from being repeated in the app economy.

This session is approved for 1 Continual Professional Development (CPD) priSM credit.

In the modern app economy where we have access to a myriad of goods and services in the space between our two thumbs, does the Service Catalog have any relevance?

In this webcast, industry expert, trainer and peer-recognized Fellow in Service Management (FSM), Doug Tedder, will discuss why having a Service Catalog -- now more than ever -- will differentiate the customer-centric e-company from its competition. He’ll also address how developing a Service Catalog may just be the opportunity that IT needs to illustrate the critical contribution that IT organizations can make to their online-all-of-the-time businesses in the app economy.

This session is approved for 1 Continual Professional Development (CPD) priSM credit.

The world of IT Service Management (ITSM) has changed greatly in the recent past and will continue to do so at an increasing rate. One thing is clear: consumers of IT services now demand a pain-free, proactive, personalized and productive experience in the workplace, similar to that of consumers outside the workplace. They expect minimal touch points when resolving issues, requesting services, getting assets…and they want to do it themselves, without involving technical assistance. These expectations are the foundation to why Forrester Research sees Workplace Enablement as being the natural evolution of ITSM.

In this webcast, guest speaker Amy DeMartine, Senior Analyst at Forrester Research, talks about what this means to today’s IT organizations and what needs to be done to deliver the service your IT consumers expect in the workplace today and in the future.

This session is approved for 1 Continual Professional Development (CPD) priSM credit.

With the business environment and thus the strategic business needs relating to information and technology continually changing, ITSM is arguably more valuable to organizations now than ever before. In meeting the challenges presented by dynamic business environments, enterprises are constantly looking for an advantage, and ITSM can help.

This presentation will explore why ITSM is of value to the modern, forward-thinking enterprise. It will look at the important business strategic objectives and how ITSM practices and supporting technology can help in delivering against them.

This event is approved for 1 Continual Professional Development (CPD) credit.

One issue that Incident and Problem Management departments face is being able to resolve an incident without knowing what has broken or failed. Is this possible? and if so, why do you still need Problem Management

So join Dave Jones as he clarifies these issues and explores further questions:

- Should we focus on identifying root causes as part of the Incident Management process?
- Can we use the proactive prevention aspect of Problem Management to stop the same thing from happening again? The end result being a memorable customer experience of service excellence.

In the era of the customer it's more important than ever to empower your ITSM team with the best tools to resolve customer problems quickly and efficiently. But does that mean giving up on the personal touch? Are automated, self-help tools the future of the ITSM function? And how can you keep lowering costs and still maintain an excellent level of customer engagement? This session with Csaba Jaromi at LogMeIn will attempt to answer these questions by focussing on three areas of improvement for ITSM Problem Management.

Modern applications are game changers. Nearly every aspect of today’s application is changing – the front end, back end, and underlying dynamic infrastructure.

Join us for this event and you'll learn about the latest innovations and announcements for HP Software’s monitoring solutions. You’ll hear how these HP innovations address today’s market trends. You will also find out about the key updates released during the past year—new features, use cases, and customer value—across application performance management, operations analytics, system management, network management, and storage management.

Why wait until it's too late? Making the switch from reactive to pro-active problem management can greatly improve the way your organisation runs and creates value. Attend this webinar to learn:

- How proper Event Management and Knowledge Management can make the difference in your ITSM strategies
- The benefits of a service catalog versus standard ticketing forms or a self-service portal
- Practical tips for rolling with the punches and ensuring your IT aligns with your business goals

There are a number of existing models for managing Service Operations - from outsourcing, to a SIaM model, or even an In-House set-up - but how will your Service Management team effectively deliver value to your organisation when it comes to maintaining and improving the delivery of Business-critical services?

Join Mark as he examines how IT Service Management can manage, influence or direct the work of Service Operation in relation to the management of Incident & Problem Management.

Ineffective new product development (NPD) pipeline management is a condition that affects many organizations looking for sustainable results from their new product efforts. In most cases, organizations struggle to understand what the symptoms they experience are telling them about their pipeline, and how to focus their energy on initiatives that will make the most impact. In this webcast, CA and Kalypso will review the most common indicators of a faulty NPD process and help diagnose the causes.

Attendees will learn:
- The common pain points and symptoms that indicate poor NPD pipeline management
- Why organizations experience these symptoms, and the underlying causes that produce these pains
- How to tailor portfolio management principles to treat the symptoms of poor NPD pipeline management, including example that illustrates how portfolio management can drive sustainable results

You may not know much about it, but Hadoop is coming in a big way. The list of services you provide and support grows larger by the day and very soon Hadoop related technologies will likely play a critical role in many of those services. Much of the processing that happens in Hadoop is batch related but the built in tools for managing that batch is inferior and will cause delays when trying to deploy the related applications and services. Join us to learn:

•What Hadoop is and what it is used for
•The type of processing performed in Hadoop environments
•How to deliver better Hadoop workload related services

A recent analyst study found that 88% of organizations are “doing Project and Portfolio Management (PPM).” This finding could lead many to believe all is well with this critical business process so essential to strategic success. This is hardly the case as studies also show PPM is still generally immature in enterprises today. The lack of maturity is largely due to the fact that most organizations are addressing only a subset of PPM capabilities. So though almost every organization can lay claim to doing PPM, few are actually doing PPM for all its worth. Many of these organizations will continue to miss out on the incredible possibility and promise of this essential business capability until they grasp and appreciate the full scope and potential of PPM.

One of the greatest barriers to realizing the full potential of PPM is an enterprise-wide awareness of the span of PPM and the likely gap that must be overcome to achieve it. There is a plethora of great PPM insight contained in the numerous books, methodologies, and frameworks available today, but using this volume of information to get everyone on the same page is a daunting challenge. The key is to use a simple approach and model to quickly establish a common understanding of this critical business discipline and to easily foster the conversations and discussions to drive the endeavor to raise PPM proficiency.

This brief webcast will present a PPM model that is easy to remember, easy to communicate, and proven to quickly illuminate the gap between existing immature PPM processes and the full scope and potential of comprehensive Project and Portfolio Management.

IT service management forms the backbone of any forward looking IT infrastructure. Whether it’s the latest trends, techniques or strategies, the content in this channel will help you optimize your organization's IT operations.